Swainson Sparrow
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Swainson Sparrow ( Passer swainsonii ) |
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| Passer swainsonii | ||||||||||||
| ( Rüppell , 1840) |
The Swainson Sparrow ( Passer swainsonii ) is a species of bird in the sparrow family. The species occurs exclusively in northeast Africa. The type epithet honors the English ornithologist William Swainson (1789–1855).
The IUCN classifies the Swainson Sparrow as not endangered ( least concern ).
Appearance
The Swainson Sparrow reaches a body length of 16 centimeters. There is no noticeable sexual dimorphism .
The area from the forehead to the nape of the neck is brown-gray, the sides of the neck and the coat are matt red-brown. The back, the rump and the upper tail-coverts are maroon. The control feathers are dark brown with light brown, fine lines. The area from the base of the beak to the eyes is dark gray-brown, the ear covers are pale gray-brown. The cheeks, throat, flanks and thighs are light gray-brown. The center of the chin and the upper throat are slightly lighter than the rest of the underside of the body. The beak is black, blackish horn-colored or dark horn-colored. The eyes are dark brown, the legs pale brown.
No subspecies are distinguished.
distribution and habitat
The Swainson Sparrow is endemic to the northeast of Africa. Countries where it occurs include Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and northern Kenya. Apart from Sudan, it is common everywhere. He is a resident ; only some populations also show seasonal migrations.
The habitat of the Swainson Sparrow are mountain regions, bog areas, open forest regions, savannas and grasslands overgrown with shrubs. Most often, however, it occurs in and around human settlements. In Eritrea it mostly lives on open plateaus at altitudes above 1200 meters, in Ethiopia it occurs in areas between 1200 and 4500 meters above sea level.
Way of life
Outside of the breeding season, Swainson sparrows live in flocks that occasionally include several hundred individuals. Flocks of this size can do some damage when the birds invade farmland and gardens. They mainly eat the seeds of grasses as well as cereals and insects.
Reproductive biology has not yet been conclusively investigated. The nest ball is put together loosely from grass and the nest hollow is lined with feathers. The nest is built on branches, in the crown of palm trees and in tree hollows. The birds also use cavities in buildings and the nests of the white throat and brown-throated sand martin . Swainson sparrows have already been observed removing nestlings of the brown-throated sand martin from the nests in order to occupy them. The clutch consists of three to six eggs. These are white with brown and gray spots. The breeding season in Eritrea falls in the period January to March and May to November, in Ethiopia, however, the species breeds from April to December.
literature
- C. Hilary Fry and Stuart Keith (Eds.): The Birds of Africa. Volume VII. Christopher Helm, London 2004, ISBN 0-7136-6531-9 .
Web links
- BirdLife factsheet on the Swainson Sparrow
- Avibase for the Swainson Sparrow
- Passer swainsonii inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
Single receipts
- ↑ BirdLife Factsheet on the Swainson Sparrow , accessed July 29, 2011
- ↑ a b c Fry et al., P. 5
- ↑ Avibase on the Swainson Sparrow , accessed on July 29, 2011
- ↑ Fry et al., Pp. 4-5